FAAN to build Abuja airport’s second runway

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said yesterday that it is stepping up efforts to build a second runway for the Abuja airport.

FAAN’s Managing Director Saleh Dunoma stated this at the weekend.

According to him, a second runway is very important because it is key to our operations.

Dunoma said due to increase in passenger and airline movement at the airport, the building of a second runway would prevent the deterioration of the existing one.

He envisioned that given the present rate of growth in the industry, the existing runway might not effectively sustain traffic.

He explained that a committee comprising officials of the authority and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has been set up to determine what the runway would look like, including facilities to be included in its design.

Dunoma added that a survey to determine the location of the second runway at the airport has been carried out so that the new facilities to be provided would work smoothly with the existing ones.

His words: “Well, the second runway is very important; it is key to our operations. The present runway has deteriorated so much such that we need to do a major work on it to make it better.

“So the second runway will be necessary. You cannot afford to close Abuja airport because it is the seat of government and it is important to our economy.”

“A committee was setup last year between FAAN and FCDA and we have come out with a scope of what we want in terms of the facilities that should be included in the second runway design.

“That scope have been developed, we have advertised also both in the nationally and internationally for consultant that will develop that scope into working drawings and bill of quantities so that we can both tender them. But we are yet to select the consultation because the process of procuring a consulting firm is what we are doing.

“Already, preliminary survey had been carried out in Abuja by our in-house engineers; we have a fair idea of the location of the second runway and the facilities that we need to provide there.”

He added: “Because we need to provide link taxiways, taxiways, aprons and some other things that will make both the new and the existing facility work together as an airport.

“These locations have been identified, it is part of the brief that we are going to give the consultant; that this is the area that we want the second runway to be located and these are the facilities we want to be included in this project and the consultant will go ahead to do a detailed survey, detailed design and a detailed bill of quantity will come out with which government can go to tender.”